The Love of a Machine
by RyuDraconis
Summary: What if ADA was more than a machines computer program? Leo's about to find out...rated PG 13 for swearing and some minor content later in the story yes I know they're only thirteen! Chapter 10 in the works, update soon!
1. Chapter One

The Love of a Machine  
  
Chapter One  
  
As the mobile frame Jehuty slid into its stationary upright position onboard the ship Atlantis, Leo breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. Finally over. No more killing, no more fighting, over, at least for him. This would be the first and last time he ever piloted Jehuty or any other type of frame. As he looked over the frames internal screens, the computer, ADA spoke up, her mechanical voice breaking the silence.  
  
"Jehuty has completed final docking with Atlantis, all systems will now perform a routine systems check."  
  
As this was said, a list of systems began scrolling across ADA's main HUD* display, and each one were checked as the system reported its status.  
  
ADA's voice broke in as Leo read the data; "The fight with Anubis has left Jehuty significantly weaker, Superiority reports on Anubis indicate the frame is 100% superior to Jehuty in all ways."  
  
Leo blinked trying to hold back his surprise and astonishment. The frame Anubis had been superior to Jehuty in every way, shape and form, and yet he, a small boy had still managed to hold off the frame long enough for them to escape the exploding station. How was that possible? He hadn't been born to pilot frames, or to fight a war for that matter.  
  
He frowned a bit and said, "Are you sure of this ADA?"  
  
Ada's voice cut in again as she intoned, "Yes Leo, my readouts come directly from the battle you fought with Anubis."  
  
"But…that's impossible!" the young boy exclaimed, "there's no way I could have stood up to that brute of a machine!"  
  
ADA's voice again filled the cockpit, "You are correct, the pilot of Anubis also outclassed and outranked you in every manner and form. Jehuty should not have survived the fight with Anubis."  
  
"However," ADA continued, her voice softening a little, "Jehuty did survive, and so did you, so logically speaking, you were the superior pilot…surviving while the odds were stacked against you."  
  
"Thank you ADA," said Leo wearily as he leaned back in the pilot seat.  
  
"Leo my sensors are detecting a break down of your neurological impulses and activity, are you OK?"  
  
The boy nodded unaware of the uncharacteristic concern the computer of the ship seemed to show, "Mhmm, just tired, need rest…"  
  
Leo was right, the day had been a long one indeed, and the many battles he had fought required a constant demand on his mind as well as his body, pushing him beyond exhaustion to pure sleep deprivation. Celvice's condition didn't help the young frame-runner's mind either, and the stress that her injury had put on the young pilot seemed to weigh him and his senses down even more. Leo couldn't help but feel responsible for her getting shot by Viola. He had let down his guard, and she, sweet Celvice had paid the price.  
  
Just as Leo was about to drift off to sleep, ADA interrupted again.  
  
"Leo, I am receiving a communiqué from Atlantis' Bridge, shall I patch it through?"  
  
"Sure ADA, go ahead," said Leo through a yawn.  
  
The HUD flickered for a moment then a young woman's face appeared, saying, "Leo? Leo are you there?" Leo looked up sleepily, and then winced. Indeed he knew who it was.  
  
Slowly he answered, "Hi Elena, good to finally see you, so how come you and yours boys aren't down in the hanger yet? I'd thought you'd be all swarming over Jehuty by now, considering the beating she took from Anubis…"  
  
Elena chuckled a bit, "We'll be down there shortly, just looking after our guest here, and she's been rather antsy since you went after the bombs."  
  
Leo's eyes went wide and he leaned forward, "Celvice? Is she OK? How is she? Is the wound that bad???"  
  
Elena laughed a bit, then smiled, "she's fine Leo, a little sore, but OK, when we get you out of Jehuty we'll bring her up to see you…"  
  
Leo nodded, "thank you Elena…although, I can't thank you for everything you made me got through to get this frame to you…"  
  
Elena seemed to hesitate, then she looked down, "We didn't mean to drag you into this Leo…" she said quietly, "It's just that we're so desperate to get a hold of Jehuty, it may be our last chance on Mars…"  
  
Leo balked as she said these words and suddenly ADA's next mission came rushing back.  
  
"I am to detonate Jehuty at the Mars Core, resulting in a x4.2 Gigaton explosion. I am destined for this because I am a machine…nothing more."  
  
Suddenly he felt something stinging at the corner of his eyes, and his voice cracked, "Elena, you can't…ADA, she's not meant to do this, everything has a destiny, ADA has one too god damn it!" Suddenly before Elena could reply, then screen went blank and ADA's voice intoned, cold, hard, female…mechanical.  
  
"Leo, I am a machine, I do whatever I am ordered to do. I have no destiny, I have no fate. I'm just a lifeless thing…cold, emotionless."  
  
ADA continued her drawl, "you are acting irrational, and as Pilot of this frame, your combat efficiency as well as piloting ability has dropped to 50%, I must insist that you cease and desist all emotional responses and piloting functions until more rest has given you time to regain your composure…"  
  
With those words, the voice stopped and there was silence in the frames cockpit.  
  
Leo sat there quietly, the tears still stinging at the side of his cheeks. There had to be more than ADA seemed to be. Cold and emotionless as she seemed at times, Leo had seen through what seemed to be just an act, and had gotten in touch with a deeper side of ADA than ADA put forward. He couldn't sit by and let her die! She had become more than just a computer to him in their time together, she had become his friend. He remembered all to well how he had failed Celvice, and its memories still haunted him. He couldn't let another friend down! Leo clenched his fists at his side and nodded. When he got down from Jehuty and rested up, he and Elena would have a serious talk. A VERY serious talk…  
  
  
  
(TO BE CONTINUED)  
  
*HUD- Heads Up Display 


	2. Chapter Two

The Love of a Machine  
  
Chapter Two  
  
It took only a couple of minutes after Leo's last conversation with ADA and Elena for the techs to come and retrieve him from the cockpit of Jehuty. As the techs got to work on the frame, a couple Medics, who had also been called put Leo on a stretcher bed. He was fast asleep. However, as Leo slept, surrounded by darkness, he thought he heard talking.  
  
"Poor kid," muttered a voice, "he's been through one hell of a week…"  
  
Another voice cut in, "yes, but he did a wonderful job getting Jehuty back to us…"  
  
The first voice that had spoken replied again, "I heard he took on Anubis all by himself! If I didn't know any better this kid must have some sort of innate piloting skill I'm sure!"  
  
Again the second voice replied, "No kidding! I've been going over some of the data the techs pulled from ADA's databanks, it seems this kid pushed her performance above and beyond what she was originally specified…not even Elena's fiancée, Alan, was that good!"  
  
It was at that time that the conversation seemed to go inaudible as Leo's consciousness left him completely.  
  
Leo awoke a few hours later, stretching and yawning. Sitting up as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he looked around. White sheeted beds were placed in a long row, and the room seemed dimly lit. Looking around some more in the dimness, Leo made out what seemed to be medical gurneys lined up against the wall. Looking at himself, he also realized his shirt was off, and he was only in his pants. Sighing he flopped back down onto the bed as he figured out he was in the medical ward of the Atlantis. He felt somewhat disappointed; he had wanted to see Celvice first not be stuck in a medical ward. He unconsciously yawned again, suddenly feeling very tired again.  
  
"Guess this is what sleep deprivation really feels like." He mumbled laying his head back on the pillow.  
  
He was lost yet again as sleep once again overwhelmed him, yet this time his sleep was not so sweet and nice, this time it was haunted by nightmares. The voice of ADA constantly berated him, whispering the words, "I'm just a machine…" over and over again, and as he slept, he kept on denying it, saying to the voice there was more to her than just the machine parts of Jehuty and its computer. There was her, ADA, a personality, something that lived and existed, just like himself and everyone else. As he said this, the blackness seemed to light up in a gigantic explosion, and as the explosion was incinerating him, Leo screamed.  
  
Leo woke up with a start; sitting up, sweat running down his forehead. The dream had been so real, he had felt the heat of the explosion, heard ADAS voice, and felt the pain of feeling helpless, unable to help the frame, or ADA. Suddenly there was a bleeping and a screen dropped down before him. It flickered for a bit, then Elena's face came into view.  
  
"Ah Leo, glad to see you're up again…I hope you slept well…"  
  
"Well, for the first part of the night, well, yeah…"  
  
"That's good," replied Elena, "Thunderheart should be getting to the medical wing right now to bring you to see Celvice, Ok? I know how much you wanted to see her."  
  
"Ok," mumbled Leo, "Just give me a second to get fully dressed…"  
  
Elena laughed a bit, "alright, we got some clean clothes out for you, they're standard issue onboard the Atlantis, you'll find them in the drawer on the side of your bed…"  
  
Leo nodded and replied, "OK, thanks Elena…"  
  
Elena smiled and said, "we'll see you and Thunderheart on the bridge in a couple OK? There are some things I'd like to talk to you about."  
  
Leo sighed and nodded, "OK, see you then…"  
  
The screen went blank and folded back into place as Leo scrambled out of bed and wiggled into the uniform of the Atlantis' crew. It was a little snug, but it fit Leo quite well.  
  
Looking himself over in the mirror, Leo sighed a bit, "another sign that I'm in this deeper than I ever thought…something tells me I'm not going to go home anytime soon…"  
  
Suddenly he heard a voice chuckle behind him.  
  
"Well, well if it isn't our little pilot…"  
  
Leo spun around, and then smiled a bit, "Hey Thunderheart, its good to see you again…"  
  
Thunderheart grinned, "and you too Leo, and I daresay, that pilot uniform fits you quite well, although, you still seem a bit…young to be wearing it…"  
  
Leo grimaced, "I never asked to be a part of this war Thunderheart…all I did was get mixed up with something I shouldn't have, then one thing escalated into another…" His face fell. "And now, before I know it…I, I'm off…watching people get killed and hurt wherever I go…" Leo's voice choked, "I…I never asked for this…"  
  
Thunderheart gave Leo a grave look and his voice went hard and cold, "Listen kid, nobody said war was easy…people do get hurt, even killed, and nobody ASKED for war, it just happens it's a phenomenon that's happened to humans for centuries…"  
  
"I don't care," said Leo quietly, "I just want it to end…too many people have died unnecessarily!"  
  
Thunderheart looked at Leo quietly and folded his arms before saying, "You're acting like a child Leo…"  
  
Leo glared at Thunderheart, "I AM a child, and all I want to do is go home!"  
  
Thunderheart frowned, "well then you will have to learn to grow up a lot faster…do you think you can go home now after what happened in that raid?!? Do you even know where your relatives may be now? Chances are, the crew of the Atlantis is the only family and home you and Celvice have left…"  
  
The words Thunderheart said seemed to slap Leo across the face and he sat there quietly, a pained and shocked look on his face. However, he knew deep down in his heart what Thunderheart was saying was true. He had seen some of the boys he knew crushed before his very eyes, and then, the house where he lived destroyed in a ball of fire. In fact the entire colony was pretty much damaged in the entire attack. Even Jehuty had a hard time containing her powerful weaponry from hitting a few houses. As he thought of all the innocents who had died, destroyed because of two frames the enemy wanted so badly, a tear trickled down the corner of his eyes.  
  
"Maybe…I should have just handed over Jehuty to them…" he whispered quietly, "then, maybe none of this would have happened."  
  
Thunderhearts laugh that followed was cold and hollow, "and then what? You'd sit by and watch them take over the entire galaxy? Chances are after they'd had gotten both Jehuty and Anubis, they would have destroyed the entire colony!" He smirked a bit, "they're far from caring kid, they have only one goal, to subvert the colonized worlds, and with Jehuty and Anubis they could have done just THAT." His voice softened a bit, "By resisting them as you did, you may have saved hundreds of thousands more lives…"  
  
Leo winced a bit. Thunderheart was right. The enemy had shown how cold and ruthless they were, when they replied to Leo's questions of why with blaster fire, taunts, and of course death threats. They didn't care about human life, all they wanted was to further their gain, no matter what the cost.  
  
Leo sighed then changed the subject; "you're going to let me go see Celvice now right?"  
  
Thunderheart nodded, "yeah, c'mon kid, she's been moved out of the medical ward and is now resting in some quarters we got set up for her…"  
  
Leo nodded and followed after Thunderheart as they left the medical ward. As he plodded behind the tall man, Leo couldn't help but marvel at how tall and strong Thunderheart was. A man shaped by many battles, he understood war quite thoroughly it seemed, and Leo wondered silently how such a man could withstand the grief and suffering that came with such knowledge. He nodded quietly as he came to the conclusion he hoped he never would have to find out.  
  
After a few minutes of a silent walk down the hall, they came to a door. Leo looked at the nameplate at the side of the door, it read, "Celvice." He sighed as he noted the nameplate did not bear her last name, just like the patch over his breast read only, "Leo" it seemed the crew of the Atlantis got to know everyone on a first name basis. All except for Thunderheart who seemed to go more often on a last name basis, which he treated like his first name more than a last name.  
  
Thunderheart nodded to the door, "In here kid." He said.  
  
Leo nodded, "thanks Thunderheart. Would you mind leaving us alone for awhile?"  
  
Thunderheart replied, "we have to be on the bridge in less than thirty minutes, I'll give you a call on the comm., see you then kid…"  
  
With that he walked off. Leo frowned. He couldn't help but feel that Thunderheart seemed to resent him more than anyone. Perhaps it was just the fact that he was just what Thnderheart called him, a kid, and a thirteen-year-old kid at that. He frowned a bit, things just didn't seem right. He looked at the door silently, would Celvice hate him for what happened, would she blame him for his incompetence? Thousands of scenarios ran through his head and he swallowed hard. He suddenly found himself about to knock on the door. He tried to stop himself, but then a soft voice seemed to say from the common the wall, "come on in Leo…" and with that the door slid open. The room was rather dimly lit, but nicely furnished. A bookcase with books was on the far side of the room, and next to it a desk with a small lamp on it. Next to the desk sat a rather nice looking bed, it wasn't too big, but neither was it too small. There was also a window with the stars of space glittering behind the glass. And then Leo noticed the figure sitting up in bed as he walked in the door sliding shut behind him. It was Celvice.  
  
Leo swallowed hard as he forced a smile and said, "Hi Celvice…"  
  
Celvice smiled as he came forward and replied, "Hi Leo…its good to see you again…"  
  
Leo looked her over; she still looked like her normal self, except for the bandage on her side where Viola had shot her. As he looked at the bandage he winced as the bad memories came rushing back.  
  
Celvice noticing the hurt look on his face as he stared at the bandage replied softly, "Leo, its not your fault…you did everything you could to protect me…"  
  
"But…I got you shot Celvice, it WAS my fault…I couldn't protect you."  
  
Leo clenched a fist at his side, he suddenly felt completely incompetent.  
  
"I…I let you down," he continued, "If, If only…" Leo nearly broke down.  
  
Gathering Leo into her arms, Celvice cradled him gently, "its not your fault Leo, honestly…I'm alive aren't I? And, you saved the entire colony from complete obliteration…by yourself…you're far from incompetent."  
  
She continued softly, "Leo, do you know how worried I was when you were out there defusing those bombs and fighting Anubis? I was afraid I would loose you forever…the thought scared me beyond everything…I felt so helpless, and scared, if anyone should be feeling incompetent it should be me."  
  
Leo pushed pout of her arms gently and looked at her.  
  
"You felt scared?"  
  
He looked at her incredulously. Celvice? The one who was always the voice of reason and maturity? Her? Scared? He laughed a bit, and then looked at her.  
  
"You're kidding right?"  
  
She shook her head, "no Leo, I'm not…I felt like I always got in the way…and then when I got shot, I felt that you'd risk your life even more to go after Viola to settle the score, even…even if you didn't want to."  
  
It was his turn to rebuke what she said, "You never were in the way…I rescued you because you're my friend, and…I wouldn't want to loose that friendship over anything, not even this war…that's why I got so scared, I was afraid you'd die because of my actions to stop the enemy…"  
  
Celvice smiled softly again, "thank you Leo…"  
  
Leo smiled back a bit, replying, "You're welcome…"  
  
They sat there quietly, not saying anything for the next minute or so, then Celvice looked out the window and said, "they're beautiful aren't they?"  
  
Leo blinked, "hunh?"  
  
"The stars…"  
  
"Oh…"  
  
Leo blushed a bit and put a hand behind his head, "yeah they are, aren't they?"  
  
He didn't feel Celvice lean against his shoulder and loop an arm through the space of his own arm. As they sat their quietly admiring the silent beauty of the stars, suddenly the comm beeped.  
  
Celvice quietly broke away from Leo's arm before he could notice where she was and replied with a sigh, "yes?"  
  
It was ADA.  
  
"Leo is asked to report to the Bridge of the Atlantis for a meeting with Elena and Thunderheart." The female voice intoned.  
  
Leo looked up, "ADA, is that you?!" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Affirmative." Came the reply.  
  
"How?" he asked, "aren't you onboard Jehuty?"  
  
"When not onboard Jehuty, I am in the Atlantis' computer, unlike Jehuty, it has no AI programming and serves quite well for any functions I require outside of Jehuty."  
  
"So does that mean you were listening in on our entire conversation?" Celvice asked.  
  
"Affirmative."  
  
Leo frowned, "haven't you heard of privacy ADA?"  
  
ADA seemed to be puzzled, "you mean, you two had wished to be alone?"  
  
"That's what I told Thunderheart!"  
  
ADA voice seemed to shift to a laugh, "Yet you had no clue the computer was constantly functioning, you simply could have told it to stop functioning in the room."  
  
Leo sighed, "never mind ADA, tell Elena and Thunderheart I am on my way to the bridge."  
  
ADA intoned, "As you wish Leo, I shall guide you there as so you don't get lost."  
  
"And ADA?"  
  
"Yes Leo?"  
  
"Next time, don't eavesdrop when I'm in here."  
  
"As you wish Leo."  
  
And then the console shut down, ADA's voice disappearing. Leo frowned. Had she seemed somewhat uncharacteristically friendly? Her voice seemed to shift from mechanical to…playful. He frowned and shook his head; it wasn't possible, no AI was that advanced.  
  
Sighing he turned to Celvice, "sorry, I should go now, don't want to keep the two waiting, or else Thunderheart will get even more irritated, I'll make it up to you OK?"  
  
Celvice smiled, "alright, I'll see you later…and Leo?"  
  
"Yes?" he replied.  
  
"That uniform makes you look very handsome and grownup…" so saying, Celvice blushed a bit.  
  
Leo blushed back, "thanks, I guess I could get used to wearing it…I'll see you later."  
  
And with that he was gone out the door. Celvice sighed and lay back into bed, staring out at the night sky, watching the stars move by, and then silently drifted off to sleep.  
  
  
  
(To Be Continued!) 


	3. Chapter Three

The Love of a Machine  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Leo said his goodbyes to Celvice and left her quarters quietly, making sure not to wake the sleeping girl. As he walked along the Atlantis' corridors he kept on going over in his mind about Viola and what she had done to Celvice. Yet, as he walked and brooded silently he couldn't help but think about Viola even more.  
  
iYou shot and nearly killed Celvice, then you tried to destroy the colony, ADA, and me. I should hate you Viola.../i He thought to himself quietly, iYet I don't...WHY?!?/i  
  
He turned down another corridor, only to have his thoughts promptly interrupted by ADAs methodical voice from the computer.  
  
"Leo, the bridge is to your left, not your right as you have just done, please pay attention so you can get to the bridge as quickly as possible."  
  
Leo looked up, "Oh, sorry ADA, I guess I wasn't paying attention."  
  
"Please pay more attention next time, as my frame runner in combat situations you must always be paying attention to your surroundings to ensure the survival of Jehuty and maintain your combat effectiveness."  
  
The young boy sighed and nodded, "thank you ADA I'll keep that in mind."  
  
"You're welcome." came the usual precise answer in the same tone of voice she always used.  
  
Leo sighed, corrected his path, then shoved his hands into his pants. He was glad ADA didn't ask too many questions when onboard the Atlantis' computer, it let him keep his own thoughts more private than in the cockpit of Jehuty. He remembered of how ADA had pestered him with questions when they had been fighting through the colony and how it seemed she never seemed to be quiet. He smiled a bit, he really wouldn't want to forget those memories.  
  
After a few more twists, turns and corridors, Leo made it to the bridge of the Atlantis. As the door slid open Thunderheart and Elena turned around to see him.   
  
Elena smiled broadly, then said, "good morning Leo, I trust you slept well?"  
  
Leo nodded, then tried to stifle as a yawn as he replied, "yeah, sort of..."  
  
"Good, we need you to be in top fighting conditon...just in case.." replied Elena with a nod.  
  
"In case of what?" Leo looked at her quizzically.  
  
Elena sighed, "in case of attack by enemy frames. It seems our mission to Mars has been compromised somewhat..."  
  
"Hunh? How?!" Leo asked, suprise on his face.  
  
Thunderheart took the liberty of answering the question.  
  
"It seems when Anubis was commandeered by the enemy, the enemy learned of our attack on Mars. I also believe they probably were expecting us to come, they're a wily bunch and I wouldn't put it beneth them." The tall Indian man grunted and shrugged a bit, then turned to let Elena speak.  
  
"Leo, we need you to stay on combat alert with Jehuty for the next 72 hours."  
  
Leos jaw dropped and he looked at Elena with disbelief, "Seventy-two hours?! Elena! I thought I was out of this and only back up!"  
  
Thunderheart scowled, "well you thought wrong."  
  
Leo scowled, "I didn't agree to this, why not have anyone else pilot Jehuty I'm not going to be part of this anymore!"  
  
Thunderheart growled and narrowed his eyes, "Look kid," he scowled a bit and contionued to stare Leo down, "face it! You're the only one GOOD enough to pilot Jehuty, not to mention control it! The only other one good enough was Alan and he's DEAD!"  
  
The mention of Alans name made Leo freeze. He looked at Elena, then back at Thunderheart. Both were silent. It was obvious the topic was a touchy one. It was then that Elena spoke.  
  
"Leo...please, you have to do this...besides ADA is best tuned to you as Jehutys frame-runner."  
  
Leo sighed and looked away, "I can't I don't want to kill anymore...I refuse..."  
  
Thunderheart suddenly walked over and picked Leo up with both hands, "Get with the program kid!" he yelled, "this is WAR! people DIE! get used to it!" He then put Leo down muttering, "if you don't, you're a dead man walking..."  
  
Leo looked a the two again quietly. Thunderhearts back was turned to him but he kept on casting glances at Leo over his shoulder. Elena was looking at him, her eyes trying to show that she was trying to be strong, but failing.  
  
i"Leo please!"/i She seemed to be almost begging. "Only you can do what is necessary to defeat the faction..."  
  
"Just what IS necessary?!" snapped Leo, "is blowing up Jehuty AND ADA necessary? In the end keeping them functioning is not really of any importance now is it?!"  
  
Elena looked down and away, bititng her lower lip, "We have to do this Leo..."  
  
"I don't care!" he countered fiercely. "You'll just ask me to kill more people, then blow up Jehuty and ADA! You can't do that!"  
  
"She'll do what she damn well pleases!" growled Thunderheart, "you shouldn't be questoning her judgement!"  
  
Elena held up a hand effectively silencing them both. Calmly she looked at the two, despite the fact her eyes still seemed to cry.  
  
"No, Thunderheart, he's right, but, Leo as right as you may be....things...sometimes have to be done for a greater good.."  
  
Leo shook his head, "No! There is no greater good! Its only an illusion! The fighting wills till go on after Jehuty is destroyed!"  
  
"We're hoping that this operation will knock out the Factions ability to wage war..."  
  
He snorted, "yeah well, and if it doesn't we've lost both ADA and Jehuty!"  
  
Suddenly ADAs voiced intoned in, "I must do my duty assigned to me and my program Leo, I cannot deviate."  
  
"I don't care ADA!" he yelled at the computer, "you're still something...you're not a shell!"  
  
"I am a computer program, no more, no less..." came the emotionless reply from the cmputer. "You should remember that Leo."  
  
Leo sighed and shook his head. ADA then went quiet again and again another uneasy calm settled over the brudge.  
  
Leo took the turn to speak again, "listen..I'm going for a walk, I need to clear my head..."   
  
Elena nodded, "right, here, take this, it was made for you while you were asleep. Its made to ADAs specifications and built by her instruction."  
  
Elena then reached over to Leo, opened his palm and dropped a watch into it. She briefly cupped her hand over his, then smiled.  
  
Leo looked it over then blinked, "what IS it?"  
  
Suddenly the device sprang to life in his hand. "It is me Leo, ADA. This watch is a physical extention of the main computer onboard Atlantis. It allows me to interact with others on a bigger basis."  
  
"I see," Leo said with a nod. "Thank you ADA and Elena..."  
  
"You're welcome. " came ADAs predictable answer.  
  
Elenas was a bit more colorful, "its not aproblem, now go take your walk...if you want you can go see Celvice or soemthing...just come back when you're more ready to talk OK?"  
  
Leo nodded, tried to smile a bit then walked out.  
  
Thunderheart watched Leo go then when the door snapped shut grumped, "that boy is going to be the death of us all..."  
  
Elena shook her head, "on the contrary, I think..I think he will save us all..."  
  
Thunderheart shrugged, "you must have hit your head or something, come on lets go get some coffee or something whle we wait for the kid to come back."  
  
Elena smiled, "I'd be delighted to.."  
  
With that both walked out side to side, laughing and talking, trying to forget the predictament they currently were in. 


	4. Chapter Four

The Love of a Machine  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Leo walked quietly along the observation deck onboard the Atlantis. His mind was a current jumble of thoughts and emotions. He knew ADA was more then a computer program, and he knew she was capable of displaying it. He stopped to look out at the deep vastness of space, and smiled a little inwardly, its majestic beauty always seemed to bring peace and calm to his turbulent mind.  
  
"Leo?" came ADA's voice from the comm unit on his wrist.  
  
"Yes ADA?" Leo replied, folding his arms against his chest so he could keep the conversation as private as he could.  
  
"Why do you...argue...so much for my future, I find it irrational and illogical, do you not want the war ended and BAHRAM stopped?" Leo noted her voice seemed to have a softer edge to it, and the usual cold preciseness at this moment wasn't there. Before he could answer, ADA continued, "my sacrifice would mean the end of BAHRAM, with Mars gone the war would be very close to ending, would you not want that?"  
  
"No!" Leo interjected with a small yell, "I, well what I mean is...ADA I don't want to loose you, you've been the only...friend I've had since the incident at the colony, next to Celvice."  
  
The wrist communicator was silent for a minute then it asked, in ADA's tone, "whats a...friend..Leo?"  
  
Leo hesitated for a moment then said, "A friend is a person who watches out for you, is there to talk to you, you know..to keep you company on a lonely day things like that..." he sighed and looked out the window again.  
  
"So that makes me, your friend?" came ADA's reply, "because of Jehuty and I, you survived the colony incident, does that qualify me as a friend even though I am a machine? I am confused. I am a computer, not a friend, I do not qualify as a friend."  
  
Leo sighed heavily and shook his head replying wiht a bit of frustration, "but thats where you're wrong ADA, I can...I mean, I dunno, It seems you're different from all other AI's out there, you're not artificial, you seem so real, like a REAL person. You're more then a computer program ADA!"  
  
ADA was silent for a minute then intoned, "I am sorry leo, what you are saying does not compute. My voice analyziation tells me there is stress in your voice, are you alright?"  
  
Leo snapped, he had had it with ADA cold complacency when he knew there was something more to her, "God damn it ADA!" he yelled. His yell caught the attention of a couple of people passing by who turned to stare at the young boy as if he was crazy. Leo only cast a sideways glance at them then continued his heated discussion with ADA. "Stop giving me this 'just a machine' crap! I know there is more to you! C'mon! Just give me a break, act like the ADA I knew! Ever since we've come here you've been acting so cold and distant...this isn't the one I knew! Whats wrong with you!?"  
  
"I am...sorry Leo." came ADAs soft reply. Leo faltered for a second, and blinked. he knew ADAs voice tone rather well, having spent much time with her. This one again seemed different. His thoughts drifted back to the time he thought he had heard ADA chuckle when he was talking with Celvice. ADA, chuckle, and now the soft, almost...hurt...voice? Leo blinked. Was he going mad? Was the years of the war finally eating away at him so much that he had finally snapped?  
  
Leo suddenly snapped out of his inner thoughts and replied quietly to the wrist Comm, "sorry ADA, I guess, I dunno..I don't want to loose you..."  
  
"I...I don't want to loose you either Leo..." came ADAs reply.  
  
Leo blinked and fell silent. Her tone was definately different, as if something had changed. The voice sounded less, computeristic and more...human. He found himself squeezing his leg tightly, a lump forming in his throat. Could it be possible that ADA was programmed to evolve as well as learn? He shook his head, the concept wasn't possible, but yet, ADA seemed to be changing, from cold and emotionless to suddenly almost caring and compassionate for her runner.  
  
ADA's voice then spoke again, "Leo, tell me, what is this concept of love? It does not compute."  
  
"Love?" Leo replied, wincing a bit uncomfortably. "I...I don't know if I can truly explain it myself, I mean...I guess its something like when you care for soemone so much that all you can think of is that person, and it overrides rationale and logical thought, kind of turns your world upside down..but its never truly been defined well...its hard to explain emotions."  
  
"Love, an emotion... I understand...then tell me Leo, do you love Celvice?" ADA then queried.  
  
Leo found himself faltering again, and his heart began to pound. Why was she suddenly so curious about these things, she was a computer designed for war, not this type of stuff.  
  
"Leo your heart rate is accelerating, I must conclude that you are ill, shall I summon a doctor?" ADA intoned again.  
  
"N...No I'm alright." he replied a bit shakily. ~Do I really love Celvice?~ he thought inwardly ~Am I even capable of...love?~ He shook his head, then closed his eyes, letting a deep breath go. he felt himself calm down, his clammy hands now cooling again. "I don't know if its love ADA...It could be, I don't know..." he sighed and flopped his back against the bench, his arm now draped across its back, the other, the one that held the comm unit propped onto his lap.  
  
"I see, Leo, do you think a machine could be capable of love? I am curious, it seems irrational, for love could render ones capabilty to fight useless." ADA intoned again, probing the question further.  
  
Leo pondered for a second the answered ans best he could, "Well sometimes we have to fight for those we love, I guess, it all depends upon what you're fighting for."  
  
ADAs reply was quick, "so, in fighting for my program are you fighting for one you love? I do not understand your logic."  
  
Leo found himself unable to answer, as the question had caught him completely offguard, and all he could answer with was an awkward silence. He finally replied with another sigh, "I guess you could look it that way, I mean, what are friends for?" he laughed lightly.  
  
"Thank you for clarifying Leo." came ADA's reply, "and...thank you..."  
  
"For what?" Leo asked, a bit perplexed.  
  
"For caring..." came ADA's soft reply again.  
  
"You're welcome ADA." Leo replied, a small smile on his lips.   
  
With that, the young frame runner fell silent again and went back to watching the stars until at last, he was again called to the bridge of the Atlantis.  
Chapter 4 Done! Hoooraay! Look for CHp 5 asap! Whats up with ADA? Why is she acting so weird at times? Find out! Hope you enoyed this newest chapter ^_^ 


	5. Chapter Five

The Love of a Machine  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Leo made his way back up to the Bridge of the Atlantis. As he did so, questions ran through his head, "why was ADA acting the way she was? I wasn't like her to seem to care, was she sick with a virus again? Was it something Elena programmed in to poke fun at him? Could ADA even CARE for that matter?" as he was thinking he suddenly had the urge to look up, and as he did noticed he was directly in front of Celvice's quarters. ~Celvice..~ he said quietly to himself. Ada's questioned now rang in his head again, ~Do you really love her?~ Shaking his head he closed his eyes and leaned up against the wall next to the door. Celvice was something else he just couldn't seem to place at the moment. the jigsaw puzzle was growing larger and he still didn't seem to have a solution in sight. Sighing he pushed off of the wall and murmured, "seeya later Celvice."  
  
By the time he got to the Bridge, Elena and Thunderheart were sitting in two chairs, one across from another, talking and drinking what smelled to be coffee. Elena saw him as soon as he entered and smiled, asking, "so Leo, how did you like your walk?"  
  
"it was ok I guess." he replied, shrugging.  
  
"Thats good." Elena replied as she smiled and sipped her drink, before continuing. "so have you given any more thought to my question?" Leo blinked and then remembered, she wanted him to continue to be Jehutys Frame Runner. She wanted him to use it to KILL more people. Closing his eyes Leo sighed and looked away. In all of his thoughts about people (mainly Celvice) and things (mainly ADA) he forgot entirely about the fact that ADA was still a computer designed to operate a device used to kill, and that he had operated it and was the only one capable of operating it.   
  
Before he really even had time to think about it on the spot, he suddenly blurted out, "alright, I'll do it, I'll be Jehuty's runner."  
  
Elena smiled and replied, "wonderful, this is indeed good news I'm glad that I met you Leo."  
  
Thunderheart smirked, stood and walked over to Leo, saying as he reached him, "I'm glad you came to your senses boy, now you're really starting to act like a man and take responsibility for something." He laughed then smiled warmly. "You'll be ok, trust me."  
  
It was then that Leo's comm unit came to life, and ADA's voice could be heard, "Leo, I'm glad you will pilot Jehuty."  
  
Leo blinked as ADA's voice came onto the comm. It seemed, warm...like she was pleased, and happy. ~Computers definately can't do that...can they?~ Leo asked himself again. Last he had checked, the research on AI's was progressing, but nothing as complex as how ADA was behaving now.  
  
Turning to Elena he asked, "would...you mind if I took Jehuty out for a little bit?"  
  
Elena smiled, then nodded, "alright, I'll inform the flight crew, be careful out there OK? If BAHRAM knows of this ship, the they might know we have Jehuty and might come looking for it."  
  
Leo nodded, "alright...I will." he swallowed slightly, knowing that what Elena meant was that he might have to kill if BAHRAM were to attack them. And since he took the job as being the Runner, well, he would probably have to kill again..and again...and again. Sighing he turned and left the Bridge, a deep pit in his stomach.  
  
Within thirty minutes, Jehuty had been prepped for launch, and then finally, launched. As he pushed forward on the control throttle, and slid out among the stars, he took a moment to stop and watch them. Brightma dn beautiful, the stars were his only refuge from a galaxy that seemed only to know war. Closing his eyes he sighed and murmured, "when will there be peace?"  
  
ADA's voice broke him from his thoughts as she said concernedly, "Leo, is something wrong?"  
  
Leo frowned and sat upright in his seat, "what...what ever happened to "breaking down of neurological, or vital signs down or, all that computer talk ADA? Is something wrong? I'm not understanding whats going on, why are you suddenly not acting like...you!"  
  
"I do not understand it myself Leo" came the reply, "but...it just feels...natural, like a part of my program."  
  
Leo sat there quietly, then said, "ADA...do...you understand what is going on here?"  
  
"I do not uderstand fully, it does not compute entirely and defies my logic." came ADA's reply, "I...wish I could understand."  
  
Leo sat in the pilots seat quietly. He was starting to slowly understand what was happening to ADA. She was starting to FEEL. Emotions, human emotions. It seemed illogical, like ADA had said, yet for some reason, slowly, but surely it was happening. She was definately becoming more then a computer program. Slowly some of the peices in the jigsaw started to come together. Her non-emotional, dull computer replies, slowly were getting replaced with emotions that contained a hint of feeling. she was starting to feel concern, and instead of logical answers to some questions, she was starting to computer the not so logical type.   
  
The answer then hit him like a ton of bricks. ADA's program was EVOLVING, changing, becoming something more then just a computer program, told what to do and when to do it by someone else. It was learning and becoming something much more then he thought a program could ever be. Slowly he opened his mouth and then asked something he never thought he would EVER ask ADA: "How...how do..you FEEL then ADA?"  
  
"I am unsure, I think I am...confused." came her reply. He could tell it held a hint of the old ADA he knew, but at the same time, it had changed. Sure the tone was clipped and regulated to a short reply, like she usually talked, but now, she was actually saying something that made her seem almost human. The computer whom he thought cared for nothing, and did only as she was told suddenly was talking to him, and actually holding a meaningful conversation. He found himself smileing a bit. Why, he did not know, but something about this seemed...right.  
  
Leo's bliss didn;t last long however as suddenly ADA switched back to her normal monotone voice and blared, "Warning, warning, incoming enemy frames at twelve'o clock, prepare to engage the enemy."  
  
Leo immediately snapped to attention and looked on the HUD. Twelve Raptor class enemy frames were identified and approaching at a high velocity. Gritting his teeth he growled, "this is it...no turning back."  
  
ADA's voice again intoned as the Raptors tore into battle proximity, "We have engaged the enemy."  
  
Immediately, Javelin weapons started to fly through space as each Raptor flung the deadly spear-like projectiles toward Jehuty. Leo, in turn dodged them then dashed forward, Jehuty's blade snapping forward as he began to tear into the closest Raptor. The frame was hit in quick sucsession then blew to peices as Jehuty dashed away to attack the next closest enemy frame. It too was soon destroyed in a hail of blows. The remaining Raptors quickly pulled back and attempted a new tatctic. Five rushed in to attack Jehuty with their energy blades, with the other five remained back and started to fill the black void of space with a hail of orangish energy bullets. Leo could feel Jehuty rock as the energy balls collided with the frame and gritted his teeth as he tried to defend against the flurry of incoming blows. He could feel the frame rock even more when another blade sliced through part of Jehutys armor, and cause damage, minimal at best but still, damage none the less.  
  
Quickly turning Jehuty around, Leo again quickly sliced the Raptor in front of him to peices then flew upowards, followed by more enemy energy blasts and the pursuing blade weilding Raptors. "How are we doing ADA?" he asked as he blocked some more incoming shots, and dodged the blades.  
  
"We have sustained minor damage, Jehuty is currently operating at 90% output." came the reply.  
  
Leo nodded, replying, "good, seems we're doing ok. So now, I guess...its time to strike back!" he clenchd his fists abit tighter around the manipulation controls and then said, "ADA, initiate burst charge!"  
  
ADA replied, "affirmative, initiating Burst."  
  
Outside, Jehuty began to glow blue as energy gathered around the frame as it continuined to dodge the other frames. The Raptors continued to slice at the frame, but semed unable to hit it as it slid away just as it semeed one would score a hit. The other Raptors, who had been firing at Jehuty, joined the fray again and also tried to slice at it, but everytime, the Mobile Frame semed to get away.  
  
Inside the cockpit ADA intoned, "Burst ready, Burst attack enabled."  
  
Leo nodded the pressed a sequence of buttons in succession. Closing his eyes he murmured ~forgive me Celvice...~ Then opening his eyes, he then yelled, "Burst attack!"  
  
Jehutys blade turned blue and as the Raptors pulled in for their next attack, as quick as the eye could blink, the blue blade slashed through all of them in a full circle. The Raptors fell back, drifting away, then suddenly blew up the, the only thing left being floating debris, now littering space. Leo let out a sigh of relief and relaxed as ADA intoned, "we have destroyed the enemy."  
  
Leaning agaisnt the pilot chair, Leo then asked ADA, "so, how are you?"  
  
"I am mainly undamaged, however, Jehuty has sustained minor damage and should be returned to the Atlantis." the clipped tone responded. It then intoned, "Leo, I am picking up data from one of the Raptors that we destroyed, shall I display it?"  
  
"Hunh, oh..yeah..sure." Leo replied. As the information began to display and Leo began to read, Leo's eyes went wide. What he was seeing in front of him seemed to be almost too good to be true! after the read-out finished he then turned Jehuty around and said, "ADA, I think we need to go see Elena about this." With that he fired up Jehuty and sped back toward the Atlantis. He suddenly felt the day hadn't been such a bad day afterall.  
  
To Be continued...  
  
What is the data readout? Why did ADA suddenly go back to normal? And, what does this mean for Leo? More answers in Chp 6, stay tuned! 


	6. Chapter Six

The Love of a Machine

Chapter Six

As soon as Jehuty had docked with the _Atlantis_, Leo shoved past the techs that were quickly running up to work on and inspect any damage that Jehuty had sustained in the battle. He didn't hear them calling their congratulations or anything else as he made his way to the lift. The downloaded file that he held in his hand was all that mattered. It was Jehuty, and more importantly ADA's salvation.

Hitting the up button on the console, Leo waited as the doors slid open with a small hiss. However, the person standing there was one he did not expect to meet down here, the one girl whom had been there with him for the entire journey through the colony. "C..celvice…" he stammered.

"Hi Leo…" she smiled at him as the lift doors closed behind him.

"What are you doing here Celvice?" he leaned up against the lifts back wall, looking at her intently.

"Well, the doctor said I was well enough to get out of bed, and suggested I go for walk or something." She giggled then looked at him, her eyes showing concern and worry, "plus…when I heard you were going into combat again…I just…had to see you again."

He hesitated and winced slightly as she looked at him like that. Innocent Celvice, poor innocent Celvice, she didn't know the blood that was on his hands, and he felt every time that she gave him that look, he should turn away, send her form his sight. He didn't even deserve to be in the same room as the figure before him, more or less sharing a lift.

"I…I had to kill again Celvice.." he began quietly looking down, clutching at the data pad he held in his hand. "I agreed to be Jehutys frame runner…and…"

"I know Leo, its ok…Elena told me." Celvice said quietly interrupting him as she looked down, before looking back up and continuing, "but…that's ok, as long as you remain yourself alright? The same Leo I knew all these years…kind, sweet, lovable Leo."

He shook his head and gripped at the data pad harder, his eyes squeezing shut as he felt tears stinging at the corner of his eyes, "but…. still…I killed…. don't you get it? I killed again and again…. I'm…not that old Leo anymore…I'm becoming something, no, someone different!"

Celvice shook her head then glided over to Leo, placing a fingertip under the boys chin and raising his face to meet hers. (Even though they were the same age she had always been slightly taller than he) "Oh Leo…." She murmured before taking him into his arms and hugging him tightly.

He was too wrapped up in the emotions that came flooding back to notice that the lift had stopped and rang the floor that he had punched in. Right now all that mattered was those feelings and emotions that raged inside his twelve year old body. Anger, frustration, guilt, sadness all came rushing to the surface and he collapsed slightly against Celvice and his usually cool demeanor faded into a haze of tears and sobs as the data pad he held fell from his hands and hit the floor with silent clatter. However he didn't care, what was all that mattered, that right now, he and Celvice were here, together.

He could have stayed like that forever until finally, he got a hold of himself and gently pushed away and out of her arms, then looked at her. She looked back, and he saw in her eyes kindness and compassion…and…could that have been love? What was love? He finally thought to himself, was it the feelings that Celvice always brought up in him when he talked to her? Was it the sense of peace and calm she always managed to exude even when times were tough? His mind wandered back to what ADA had asked him before; did he truly _love_ Celvice? Did she even love him back? There were so many questions in his head that needed answering and the jigsaw puzzle only seemed to get larger, even as he solved some questions and problems, new ones appeared. Love always seemed a complex question to him, yet, here in Celvice's arms it felt warm, comforting, like everything would be all right.

Suddenly ADA's voice intoned from his comm. device, "Leo, we have reached the floor you asked for, and Elena is awaiting your report, she says not to delay."

Leo pulled away from Celvice, a small wistful sigh escaping his lips as Celvice blushed slightly. He in turn grinned slightly bashfully back then said into his wrist communicator "Ok ADA I'm on my way to the Bridge now, tell Elena I'll be here shortly." He couldn't help but notice ADA's tone, there was something new in there, could it be jealousy? The tone seemed to say, "Get away from her" But ADA was incapable of showing that much emotion or was she? He couldn't tell. Her program may have been evolving, but he still didn't know to what extent. Shrugging he pushed thoughts of ADA to the farthest back of his mind. Now was not the time for such worries, he had a job to do.

"Hey…Celvice?" he asked as he picked up the data pad from the ground and stepped toward the lifts door, which opened effortlessly as he did so.

"Yeah Leo?" she replied back, smiling at him again in that serene matter that always made him feel that he shouldn't even be in her presence.

He bit his bottom lip then asked, "Would you join me in the mess hall later? You've been in recovery for awhile…and I…haven't gotten much time to talk to you what with Jehuty and ADA taking up much of my time."

Her smile broadened and she nodded, "alright, sure…I'll make sure to remember ok? Don't you forget either!" she grinned at him slightly, a mock tease in her voice.

He grinned back then nodded, "right, um…how about 12 hundred hours ok?"

"It's a date." She grinned, again the teasing look on her face as she winked and the doors slid closed before he could even think of a rebuttal.

"She always does that to me." He muttered, stuffing a hand into his flight jacket and grumbling slightly, "Its not fair teasing me like that…" he sighed wistfully again and started walking down the hallway toward the Bridge.

"Leo." ADA's voice intoned again over the communicator.

"What is it NOW ADA?" he had to admit, he was using a rather harsh tone with her, unlike he usually did, but he was rather annoyed at her having interjected when she did when he was talking to Celvice. Her next question however caught him completely off guard.

"What is…a date? I heard …Celvice…(again with the jealous tone he had to note) mention that to you, could you please explain it to me?" Leo winced slightly; he could tell the curiosity in her voice was rather genuine.

He licked his lips, they had gone dry from his nervousness while with Celvice, and stammered, "ah…um…well…I guess its when two really good friends um...get together to talk and go over their time together I guess. Y'know…kind of what like, um, good friends do."

Her next question caught the young Frame runner off even more, "so…could you…and I…have a date?" (He couldn't help but think she had planned this question)

Leo licked hi lips nervously again and ADA again asked as she always seemed to be monitoring his vitals, "Leo, your pulse is accelerating and your voice patterns are wavering, are you ok? Do I need to call a medic?"

He could tell that it was obvious she still hadn't learned all the emotions of a human only the more…primal.: jealousy, concern, annoyance, love. That was the key word, he could tell this was all about: love. One word made even one of the most sophisticated of AI's into nothing more than a curious wide eyed child, a word that caused himself to pause and think about its very meaning, its essence, and he was caught in the center of it. Sighing he muttered, "No ADA I'm fine, but thank you for asking."

ADA's voice almost beamed as she replied, "I am glad Leo, so…could we go on a date too?"

"I…don't know if that's possible…" he replied quietly, rubbing his temple with his free hand, "I mean you're…" he stopped himself before he completed his sentence. She was more than a machine, he knew it, he could feel it through their conversations and her own actions but why did things between them have to be so damn _complicated_? He was her Frame Runner, her partner, her other half. Without him, she could not pilot Jehuty with the efficiency and skill he owned, she needed him, and he needed her, to work in tandem between man and machine. But why was her programming so unique? Why was she designed to be like…_this_? Jealous of his best friend, that happened to be a girl…a girlfriend. He sighed again and shook his head. This was becoming more and more complex with each passing day he spent with both Celvice and ADA.

ADA again broke the silence he had caused by falling back into his own thoughts asking, "Leo are you afraid of me? Please…don't be…"

And now she had learned the feelings of hurt. He had rejected her and hurt her, and now, her AI had adopted it. He winced slightly then sighed and replied quietly, "I'm not scared of you ADA, just…I don't know…I just…don't know."

And with that, his communicator went silent and for a second, Leo felt his heart break. He had hurt someone again, someone he cared for, more than he cared to admit to, just the same with Celvice. His chin slumped down and against his chest as he stared at his feet. _I'm only thirteen years old and I'm going through life like I'm eighteen, damnit this doesn't feel RIGHT._ He thought to himself before then hesitating as he collected his thoughts and continued the mental conversaation with himself _shit, I'm acting like someone I'm not_…_perhaps Thunderhawk was right… perhaps I'm not the kid I used to be…I have to grow up, learn to live with myself and my choices._ He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. Life had dealt him an odd hand, and it flet like it was all a really _bad_ joke sometimes, so bad it made him just want to scream. True at his age he had been told he would start looking at things especially girls differently, yet still what was happening to him just made his stomach feel like it was being turned inside out and he was the subject of a really bad joke. Whoever was playing the joke on him had a real bad sense of humour too.

It was times like this that Leo had wished he had his simple life back on the colony, with his friends and Celvice and his dad, but he knew it was all gone, a shattered dream of peaceful days and a colony long gone. Gone with the flames of war that BAHRAM had brought, that Earth had brought, for even smuggling the Jehuty and Anubis to the colony. It was unfair, why did HE have to bear the weight of this war? He wasn't a soldier, or a pilot for that matter. But suddenly…he felt like one, in a war that would never end, thrust into a role he was not meant to play.

Looking up from staring at his feet Leo grimaced and took a step, and promised himself something as he started to walk full stride toward the Bridge's door. He needed to grow up, to stop acting like a simpering child, he was in a new world now, and Celvice, and ADA were counting on him. He held their lives in his hands, and he was not going to let them down, not ever. He would protect them…at whatever cost.

(to be continued)

(Short chapter I know, I'll get along to 7 ASAP, anyways I hope those who are following this story enjoy this latest installment, consider it a little bit of filler before I get back on track regarding the data he collected and so on, this was to get this story out of cobwebs and back into your lives! Enjoy! And I hope those who are following as well are thinking I'm still keeping true to the theme I set up: ADA/L/Celvice :D poor guy lol)


	7. Chapter Seven

The Love of a Machine

Chapter Seven

The door to the bridge slid open effortlessly, as it always did, but Leo paid it no heed as he walked onto the bridge, his mind found itself spinning cartwheels over and over again. His latest discourse with ADA had left him reeling, yet in a strange way, more determined than before to save her from the fate that awaited her on Mars. The uncomfortable feeling in his stomach hadn't left however; his pushing aside her questions so casually and with such grim determination that he knew he had probably hurt her. Yes, hurt her, he found himself admitting. Even if it didn't seem possible, if it was true that ADA's programming was evolving into something more, then he had done just that.

A cough and a stern "ahem" brought his attention forward, and he realized he had been staring off into space, and ignoring Elena who had come up to him and been trying to get his attention for the last few minutes. "Oh…sorry Elena..." he laughed a bit nervously and blushed, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He hoped he wasn't too obvious.

"Leo, if you're going to Frame Run for Jehuty we can't have you spacing out like that." She replied sternly, then sighed and then shrugged and held out her hand, "Your report?"

"Oh! Yeah here you go." Leo replied, dismissing her annoyance and handing the data pad he had been carrying to her. "The details of the encounter are all there, as well as something more I gathered." His voice nearly broke as he shoved aside any of his feelings of guilt for the time, replacing them with hopefulness with a hint of excitement. He felt the information he had gathered took precedence. It could mean he could actually save ADA.

Elena's eyes darted over the report then fell still on the final lines, her brow furrowing. "This is interesting..." she muttered.

Leo nodded then said, "From what I managed to download and access from the Frames BAHRAM communicaes after the encounter, is that it seems that Anubis has been moved to Mars for the time being for retrofit and repairs…even though Jehuty and I couldn't fully engage him, his frame did take some damage in the fight."

"This could be misinformation you know Leo." Elena said quietly setting aside the pad before continuing, "BAHRAMS notorious for doing that."

Leo's brow furrowed and shook his head, "I have a gut feeling it's not Elena…if we were to take Jehuty to Mars now as was planned we'd have to deal with Anubis…and Jehuty isn't ready for a fight like that!" His voice rose as he stared up at Elena hard.

Elena stared hard at him back, and replied coolly, "Gut feelings don't win wars Leo."

Leo winced hard at her reply, but grimaced and hung his head, "I know that Elena. But…I…" his voice began to quake as he clenched his fists at his side. He could feel the control he had starting to slip again as thoughts of letting more people down, letting them die, came flooding back into his head.

Sighing Elena's voice softened and she kneeled and suddenly hugged Leo to her and replied, "Its ADA your worried about isn't it?"

"N…no…its not that…I..." he tried to lie, but found he couldn't as his emotional barriers began to spring cracks. He suddenly found himself coming to a grim revelation: he was afraid of loosing ADA, what would happen to him if he lost another companion he considered a friend. He finally nodded and leaned his head into her chest, admitting "yes…I am. She's…my friend…" Was she a friend? He wasn't sure still, and even as he said this he felt himself questioning if it was another lie he was telling himself to deal with his growing fondness for her.

"Come with me to my quarters Leo, we should talk." Elena nodded as she stood, ignoring the stares of the other workers on the bridge. Leo nodded and winced uncomfortably; knowing most of the stares were directed at him. He was the newest crew member of the _Atlantis_ yet here he was still acting like the simpering child from the colony. Elena interrupted his thoughts again and replied, "Make sure to turn your wrist comm. off as well, Sorry ADA, don't want you listening in."

ADA's voice intoned, this time Leo could swear, with regret but in the affirmative: "Of course Dr. Elena, I shall continue to run diagnostics and repairs on Jehuty's systems."

Elena nodded then left the bridge via a door behind it, and Leo followed hesitantly behind. Questions filled his head, ranging from the possible topic of conversation, to perhaps the nature of his growing fondness for the AI ADA. The most prevalent thought on his mind however was, had Elena known that ADA eavesdropped on conversations? He shook his head dismissing the notion. Surely she knew nothing of the nature of the changes she was undergoing. Or did she? He realized he knew very little about Elena, aside only what she had told him as he had made his way through the colony.

"Leo would you like some coffee or tea?" Elena's voice broke through his thoughts yet again. She seemed to have a habit of doing that. Or perhaps he was just so preoccupied lately.

"Oh, um, I'm fine thank you." He replied as he looked over the room he had just entered. It was nicely furnished, with a table with chairs, and across from it, a couch and low coffee table with a armchair on the other side. He noticed the couch had a rather large indentation in it, and immediately recognized it as Thunderhawk's. He made a mental note of this then decided to sit down next to the impression and await Elena. She came out a few minutes later, carrying a small cup and saucer which she sat down on the coffee table as she reclined into the armchair.

The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes then Elena decided to break it, asking, "Tell me Leo how much do you know of the ADA Ai Program."

"Not much to be honest," he sighed as he slouched some into the couch. For some reason it made him feel warm and comfortable, a feeling he had been missing ever since first climbing back into the Jehuty Frame. He continued "All I know is what ADA told me in the colony…y'know basic operating procedures and such."

"I see" Elena replied, taking a sip of her coffee and watching him. He shifted nervously. Her gaze told him that she seemed to know he knew more than he was letting on. Finally she said, "and what about Meta evolution?"

"Meta- what?" he blinked

"The evolution of her program Leo…surely you have noticed by it now…if not figured it out." She replied calmly.

"I…well…I suppose I have…" he tried to avoid the question as best he could. It was a topic that he still found hard to address and led to him feeling confused, and strange. Much like when he was around Celvice, but brought on by Ada's voice and her continually difficult questions to answer on feelings of friendship, trust, and most importantly: love. He then swallowed hard, trying to forget his most recent questioning with ADA he had had, and asked "I've only just started to realize her program is ...changing…have you know all along Elena?"

Elena nodded and put down her coffee, "first let me tell you this…what I'm about to tell you Leo is strictly confidential, ok? Not even Thunderhawk or Alan knew about what im going to tell you., I could loose my job if someone found out I told you." Leo nodded, and she continued, "Metatron, as we call it, is the metal which makes up Jehuty's basic structure, I believe ADA already informed you of this."

"Yeah, its what makes the Frames different from regular frames if I recall." He replied.

"Correct." Elena affirmed, "However what has been found out is that Metatron isn't JUST a mineral…it's a living organism, with incredible repairing factors. It in essence regenerates ITSELF when it takes damage. Aside from the minimal repairs the Frame receives it literally can restore itself no matter how heavy the damage."

"But what does this have to do with ADA?" Leo asked, intrigued.

Elena laughed a little then sipped her coffee again before replying "I was just getting there. We decrypted files that BAHRAM has tried to make a Frame like Jehuty before, however the Frame did not have a AI program to act as a buffer and somehow the Metatron slowly drove the Original Frames pilot insane. From what we can tell it was destroyed and the pilot killed soon after this happened." She paused then got up and walked over to her desk and pulled out a computer then sat back down, opened it and slid it over toward Leo.

Leo looked over it and the data it displayed. It showed how the older Frame system was implemented, without the AI system, and slowly the pieces began to fall into place. "Are you telling me that the AI system acts as a buffer for the Metatron?" he asked Elena looking back up at her.

"Yes Leo, the AI system acts as a the primary buffer to help prevent the insanity caused by direct Metatron exposure, so that instead of synchronizing DIRECTLY with the human neural system, it instead synchs with a secondary neural structure, an artificial one." Elena picked up the computer and punched in some more data then showed the display to Leo. "However there is still side effects caused by this…it is theorized that AI systems are a lot like human neural pathways, sending and relaying information via data synapses instead of electronic ones, BUT it is this similarity that causes the Metatron to influence and change the system exposed to it. In essence ADA is evolving into a sort of human consciousness inside a computer, a hybrid meshing of a computerized existence but with a personality and consciousness."

Leo looked at Elena with astonishment, and bit his lip hard. He knew her program was undergoing fundamental changes but he never thought it was something this drastic. Suddenly a wave of rage came churning up from nowhere and he grimaced and raised his voice at Elena, "and you KNEW this and you still want to send her to die?!?!"

"Leo…please…I protested the idea as hard as I could when Earth told me what they wanted Jehuty for, but…"

"I DON'T CARE!" he yelled, glaring at her hard again, "If Ada's a evolving consciousness she should have a right to choose! She's not just some piece of equipment one can use and dispose!" he bit his lip hard, and he tasted the metallic taste of blood on his tongue, and knew he had bit so hard that it had begun to bleed. But the pain and anguish he had begun to feel upon the realization of what Elena had told him had overwhelmed any sense of rationale he had had, and he ignored the pain now coming form the cut.

Elena saw the blood and stood, retrieving a tissue and trying to wipe up the blood from his lip but Leo just pushed her away and continued to glare at her. "Please understand.." she pleaded with him, "you've seen what happens when combat engages…it switches back to the combat system and suppresses any higher functions she might be using prior…you have to understand…Leo, she IS a weapon of war."

"It's just like sending a soldier on a suicide mission for all I care!" he spat back, "its always the same! Someone HAS to die for a war, and its always the one whom you think nobody will miss!" he grimaced then yelled, his emotions suddenly becoming bared, "what about ME! How do you think I feel?!?! I don't know what I would do without her…she's like Celvice…I can't...I don't…want to loose them! Ill do whatever I can to protect them…even if I have to oppose you!"

It was like a surreal experience, Leo suddenly found himself confessing something he had been denying, or avoiding ever since had come aboard. His heart beat faster, and suddenly found himself missing ADAs curious intones asking about his health, and as salt tears stung his face, he missed Celvices calm soothing words. And there again, one word came to mind: love. He missed these feelings and sensations because he loved the ones from whom they came from. Suddenly the dam he had been building ever since that fateful day when he first had fallen into that cockpit, burst and tears stung his eyes more and then his cheeks as he began to openly cry. And the pain, again, there was pain…his constant companion.

Elena watched the young frame runner pour out his grief and folded her arms slightly, pity welling in her heart. She knew what had to be done, but in the end, would it be the right decision. She quietly slipped out as she let Leo vent to himself. Going back onto the bridge Thunderhawk was standing there arms crossed.

"How's the kid?" he asked, "I heard you went to go talk to him after he broke down on the bridge, is he still acting like a brat?" There was annoyance in his voice.

Elena shook her head, "no…he just needs time to sort out some things, let him be for now Thunderhawk…more importantly…I'm going to activate the Avatar project."

Thunderhawk gaped at her, "but why that program? I thought it was till experimental."

Elena sighed and looked out across the vastness of space before them, "it is, but…we can't have him pilot Jehuty like this…he needs to get his emotions sorted out."

Thunderhawk sighed, "So you're going to do this for him aren't you?"

"Yes." Elena replied, "It's what Allen would have wanted. We always wanted to have children someday y'know…"

Thunderhawk chuckled a bit then nodded, "Alright I understand...I'll handle any nosey Earth Forces who might ask questions. I suppose we do owe the kid something."

Elena didn't reply, and instead turned back to staring out into space. Things, she knew, were about to get even more complicated than they already where.

(to be continued!)

What is this Avatar program Elena is mentioning, and what will leo do? Things become complicated next chapter!

(Hope ya'll keep reading and hope you definitely enjoyed this chapter. R&R as always and I shall continue to write, I'm back in business!)


	8. Chapter Eight

The Love of a Machine

Chapter Eight

It had been three weeks since Leo's argument with Elena, and he had seen nothing of her in that time frame. He had spent this time familiarizing himself with the Frame Jehuty, growing more accustomed to its feel, its controls, but what was most unsettling to him was that ADA was strangely absent as well. The day of his argument with Elena, she had announced shortly thereafter that the _Atlantis_ would be undergoing a series of needed repairs and maintenance, and that all non-essential systems, including ADA's online matrix would be taken down while this was underway. His two way communicator with ADA's program had fallen silent and he found himself missing her quips, and strange inquiries as her program probed the depths of the form their "relationship." had taken.

With a heavy sigh, he opened Jehuty's cockpit and slid down the boarding ladder, it had been a long day of drills and simulations under Thunderhearts tutelage and he was actually looking forward to a restful nights sleep, but as he looked up, he saw Celvice standing nearby and his thoughts immediately changed, as he felt his cheeks redden slightly.

With ADA down and no-one else to truly talk to (aside from Thunderheart) he had taken it upon himself to visit Celvice as much as possible, and as they spent more and more time together he found that there seemed to be an uncomfortable air developing around them both. He would stare, and stammer, find himself unable to speak at times, even about some of the most mundane things, and she would look away bashfully, and the conversation would end on a very awkward note. ADA had observed this behavior before and normally she would have quipped in, breaking the tension and distracting him from the girl next to him, but now she wasn't around and he often found himself in many more awkward situations as of late.

Of course this didn't do anything to help his situation. ADA, Celvice, both meant a lot to him, he found the longer his conversations with ADA went missing, a part of him missed her company. He had come to realize that as her program evolved, he himself discovered more about himself as well. Love, the same word came to him again, did he love them? It was hard for him to think lately, his inner musings in turmoil. Could one love someone in time of war? Could he let himself love during this difficult time? Would he have to choose? ADA, Celvice, one a sentient computer program, with whom he had formed a close bond with, the other a childhood friend he cared deeply for and would give anything to protect. Back at the Colony he had come to know them both, risking life and limb to help them when they could not help themselves. To choose would feel like he was abandoning one, it was a responsibility he did not want, yet it made the situation he was in so much more perplexing to himself. He recalled ADA's innocent query a few weeks back "_do you love Celvice."_ He had brushed her aside then, but now, the question haunted his mind and he did not know the answer. For in his heart he knew that that question held more meaning to him than any of the other concerns that weighed him down in this time of war.

"Leo?" Celvice's voice broke his train of thought yet again for what must have been the hundredth time while the two had been onboard the _Atlantis._

"Yes what is it Celvice?" he replied looking up into her eyes, trying his best to keep his face cleared of any telltale signs of his conflicting emotions, his reddened cheeks returning back to their regular color.

"Well, uhm…I was wondering..." she smiled a bit bashfully, her blue eyes sparkling "you've spent a lot of time working with Thunderheart lately…and we've only seen each other somewhat infrequently, would you like to join me in the mess hall for something to eat?"

Leo shrugged a bit casually, trying to ignore the creeping feeling of awkwardness that came with her presence and grinned, "You know what, sure, let's go Celvice I could use something to eat."

She smiled and fell into step alongside him as they walked to the lifts which lead from the ships hanger to the interior of the ship. He felt like he should say something but both of them fell silent for a few seconds as the lift hummed upwards, he unable to find his voice, and she, a small blush on her cheeks.

The awkward silence continued until the lift came to a lurching stop at the top. Leo was used to this by now, but Celvice let out a small gasp and fell forward onto Leo's chest. In that moment Leo found his world turned upside down, his head spinning from the scent of her hair. It was a nice, almost flowery scent, and the more he took it in the more it seemed to overpower his senses. His heart beat even faster as a lump formed in his throat, a few mere seconds turning into what seemed like an eternity before he could stammer out, "y…you alright Celvice?"

Celvice just nodded and buried her head into his chest a little bit more before leaning back out to look him in the eyes, whispering, "I'm fine Leo. I just lost my balance…that's all..."

He laughed nervously then put his hands onto her shoulders and pushed her from his chest gently, smiling "Good I'm glad; I guess I had to save you again didn't I?"

She nodded, her cheeks reddening some as she laughed nervously as well, as she replied, "You are always there to save me Leo. It makes me…happy…to be your friend."

He nodded a bit solemnly as he started to feel his cheeks heating up again, as he rubbed his head and laughed, "Don't worry Celvice I will always be there for you. That's what friend are for right?"

_That's what friends are for_…his mind repeated, as he drifted off as they walked in silence down the hallway toward the mess room. Yet then why had he reacted so much when he had smelled her scent? Why did talking to his friend now become harder and harder with every passing day? It felt as if there were words that were being unspoken, truths that had to be told but were held back, but to him, there was another reason he was holding back: ADA. He would not betray her; he couldn't, after all she was his friend too and he had sworn to himself that he would never abandon his friends. He would protect them, even if the person they needed protecting from was himself.

As the door slid open to the mess hall, he saw someone that he had not seen in a few weeks. There sat Elena quietly reading some reports, a mug of coffee at her side. She seemed in intense concentration, the only noise she made was the sound of her flipping the papers in front of her.

Leo nodded to Celvice to sit at a nearby table, he had no desire to talk to Elena, his mind wandering back to their argument they had a few weeks before where Elena had said she still had to detonate Jehuty despite ADA's evolving AI.. She was no better than he was, a murderer of sentient beings, but he would not let her dispassion for ADA allow her to get destroyed. However as he walked past her, she looked up and behind her, almost as if she had _known_ he was there.

Her face was tired, he could tell red bloodshot eyes, her hair haggard and loose, and a definite weariness that existed there. The two stared at each other for a few moments until Elena finally spoke acknowledging both young people who had just walked into the room, "Good evening Leo, Celvice." She nodded, her weary face showing that she had not been sleeping much as of late.

Celvice smiled happily and replied with a "good evening Elena, glad you could join us" but Leo just pursed his lips some as he returned her greeting coolly, "Good evening Captain, glad to see you finally decided to join us" His terse tone belied the anger that simmered just beneath the surface at the woman who had just addressed him.

Elena frowned a bit then bit her lip gently, letting out another weary sigh as she replied, "You're still upset at me aren't you?"

"Of course I'm upset" he snapped as he sat down across from Celvice, "you want to blow up Jehuty and ADA along with it!" he scowled, as Celvice looked at them both, concern crossing her face as she reached a hand out to touch Leos shoulder.

"Leo, I'm not here to fight with you we're on the same side." The older woman replied with another sigh as she set the papers down, "I don't want to see Jehuty or ADA destroyed either...and I know how much ADA means to you."

At the mention of ADA's name Leo felt Celvice's hand squeeze down a little harder onto his arm, but he ignored it as he said, "she's my friend Elena, and I'll do whatever it takes for you to not destroy her."

Elena only let a small smirk cross her lips and then took a sip of her coffee, setting it back down as she replied, "Good I was hoping you'd say that, come to my office after your…date" she laughed a bit then picked up her coffee, stood up and walked out of the mess hall before Leo could reply.

Leo looked back at Celvice after Elena had left, her face was bright red, and Leo suddenly felt his cheeks warm up as well, as they both sat there, staring at the table in awkward silence.

The silence was finally broken as Celvice laughed nervously again, looking up at the young boy, "I guess this is like a date isn't it? I…I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable Leo."

Leo shook his head, and laughed again, equally nervously, "no…its kind of nice…helps me forget about this war were fighting..." he stood up and walked over to the windows that overlooked space beyond. "If anything…I needed this…thank you Celvice." He smiled warmly at the young girl who blushed again lightly.

"You know, Leo, I've been thinking…" she began, "what…what will you do when you're done fighting?"

The question caught him off guard. Ever since the Colony he had been in battle, it seemed like there was no end to it all, it felt as if he would be killing for the rest of his life, but such a simple question made him feel strangely whole on the inside. Such a simple question, and yet he had no answer.

"I…I'm not sure Celvice…" Leo finally replied, "my dad was killed when BAHRAM attacked the Colony…I have nowhere to go."

Before he knew what was happening he heard Celvice's footsteps behind him, then something he never saw coming: her arms wrapping around his midsection and the side of her face coming to rest on his back as she whispered, "You know Leo…you could always stay with me…we're not little kids anymore."

His heart started beating again faster and faster, his breathing became shallow as he chocked out, "I...I don't know Celvice I mean…"

Her arms tightened a little bit around him, and he found himself feeling strangely comforted by the gesture, as the world seemed to melt away around him, leaving only Celvice and himself, here now in this moment. It was then that Celvice replied "Its ok Leo…you've been so strong lately…I just worry that when this is over that you wont be the kind, sweet, lovable Leo anymore…I don't want to loose that because….because" he felt her heartbeat begin to speed up even more as she uttered three words he hoped he would never have to hear: "because I love you."

For a moment Leo hoped that he had misunderstood what she had said, but the words were still echoing in his head. Celvice loved him; she was in love with HIM. He had hoped he would never hear those words and now here he was hearing them. His heart pounded in his chest, the lump in his throat making it hard for him to breathe. He couldn't allow himself the luxury of a response. It wasn't right, he couldn't allow himself to love, not now, not with so much at stake, so many people depending on him, and then there was ADA, what would she say? That he was acting irrationally? Maybe, she had said so before. But was it because of jealousy? Or was she just acting like her usual cold, battle hardened self? He didn't know, and while so much of him wanted to hold Celvice right then and there and tell her that he loved him as well, the other half screamed at him that it was wrong. He couldn't allow himself the luxury.

"Leo…please…do you love me?" he found himself suddenly staring into her eyes, she having worked her way to the front of him, her beautiful eyes boring into his.

"Celvice…" he croaked, as he shook his head, the lie all too easily escaping his lips: "No I don't love you. I'm sorry."

"_LIES!"_ his inner self screamed at him as his heart broke as tears welled up in her eyes, "_tell her the truth! Don't do this to her!"_ But it was too late, hanging her head, tears running down her cheeks Celvice broke their embrace and quickly ran from the mess hall. _"You are a coward_" his inner self pointed out. "_I did what was right_" he countered, as he just laughed at himself, his own heart now torn asunder "_Wrong, you did that to shield yourself…you're afraid to love and that makes you a coward."_ He knew his internal self was right, but the damage was done, as he numbly stumbled for the mess hall door.

Leaving the Mess Hall, he walked down the ships corridor toward the Bridge in a daze. He had done what he had sworn he would never do: he had hurt his friend. No, he hadn't hurt her; he had torn out her heart at the moment when she was most vulnerable, and it left him feeling dead inside. _"I did it for her…to protect her…"_ he rationalized as he stepped onto the _Atlantis' _bridge, and pressed the paging button for Elena's room.

"Come in Leo" Elena's voice said reply over the comm. the door sliding open for him as he crossed its threshold.

Elena was sitting there, a smile on her lips as she said "glad you could make it Leo"

He just nodded, the knotted feeling in his stomach making it hard to think straight at the moment.

The older woman looked at him with a quiet eye as she asked, "are you alright? Something didn't happen with Celvice did it?"

Leo just shook his head, "no nothing did, what did you call me here to discuss?" as another lie slipped past his lips. He had to remain strong, for everyone onboard, for Celvice and for ADA.

Elena shook her head, "I called you hear to discuss nothing Leo, I want you to meet someone."

"I don't understand Elena." He replied looking puzzled, "I thought we were going to discuss ADA some more."

Elena nodded, "yes but not in the same capacity as you may think. ADA come in here please"

A look of confusion crossed Leos face and he was about to raise an objection, when a young girl, easily around the age of fourteen, his own age stepped in. He was left speechless, her skin was flawless, a little pale but still beautiful, her blue hair tied back ina pony tail, and striking red eyes, something he had never seen before. The red dress she wore only accented her exoticness. Smiling she said with a hint of shyness "Hello Leo."

Elena just said simply, "Leo, I would like you to meet Ada."

With a hard swallow as he looked from Elena to Ada, all he could do was nod mutely and raise his hand in a quiet hello. However, deep inside, Leo knew that his life had just become much, much more complicated than ever before.

(to be continued!)

Next chapter: Leos world has been turned upside down, but between this new Ada and a sullen Celvice, what more could go wrong? Stay tuned to find out!

(Ok all I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and sorry for the long delay, I've been rather busy, ill try and update as much as I can, so again review if you want to and I hope all those who have enjoyed this fic continue to enjoy my newest chapters, late! Ryu)


	9. From the Desk of RyuDraconis

From the Desk of RyuDraconis

A reply to the fans

Hey everyone! Long time no update I know, its been awhile, I had found myself at a loss to proceed, but now, after many, many months I find myself in a very similar predicament to our Hero, Leo. This has inspired me, and now, finally, I hope to bring you all chapter 9 very, VERY soon, as I go through this trial of my own in affairs of the heart. I apologize for taking so very long to update this fic, and renewed interest in this fic has made me want to work on it even more (its gotten so many reviews and been added to a lot of favorite fics lately it seems) I feel like Ive let you, the people who are eagerly awaiting 9 down by delaying the next chapter so long, but I must admit, when I don't feel like writing I have to put my pen down and step away for awhile.

But, now, I come to you ready to begin again and bring you Chapter 9! So stay tuned and Ill keep you updated with progress on the fic through this "chapter" (once 9 is released Ill delete it ) Again I thank you all for your reviews and support of this lengthy fic. I don't often do love stories but I find this one very near and dear to my heart now a days, and I feel it is my honor to continue and bring you my best authoring as I can. Look forward to chapter 9, itll be out soon I promise. I hope itll be good for you all , and enough for me to continue writing onwards . Hope to hear from you soon!

Yours truly,

RyuDraconis

Progress of Chapter 9: Rough drafting, and concept theorizing, complete


	10. Chapter Nine

The Love of a Machine

Chapter Nine

Leo was stunned speechless, here he was, staring at what seemed to be ADA, but at the same time, she was flesh and blood, and not just an AI inside a computers mainframe. He looked her over again, his gaze a mixture of bewilderment and awe. The girl who stood in front of him looked nearly similar to Celvice, build and all save for the longer hair and the red eyes, yet based on the name, he knew who it really was. Yet he found himself unable to look away no matter how hard he tried his heart beating hard in his chest. Here was ADA, personified into something more than a war machine. She was human, and she was here, in the room with him.

The girl's voice broke the quiet, "what's wrong Leo, don't you like the way I look?" The girl cocked her head and a look of bewilderment crossed her face, as she turned to Elena, "Doesn't Leo prefer this look Elena?"

Elena laughed and just smiled, "Of course he does Ada I think you've just left him speechless"

"Speechless?" she looked at Elena again, "But his vocal cords still seem to be able to function properly" the still puzzled, yet curious look still on her flawless face. In some ways Leo found it somewhat cute, attractive even, and it just made him stare more.

Elena giggled and grinned "It's an expression Ada dear, it means he finds you attractive, yet is unable to say or express it."

Ada's puzzled look turned to one of happiness as a smile spread across her perfect lips. "Really?! You really like the way I look Leo?!" She peered at him, her eyes making contact with his, making his heart pump even faster, as they shined with emotion that could only be expressed through actual eye contact.

"Uhm...Y...yeah I do..." he replied forcing himself to break her gaze and blush heavily as he scratched the side of his face with a finger to try and aleve the tension inside he felt building up. "You, uhm, look nice Ada."

Ada grinned again and ran up to him and hugged him tight. Leo found himself nearly crushed by the hug as he gasped, "Ada y...your squeezing a bit tight." She gasped and immediately dropped him, as the young Runner coughed for breath as she kneeled and looked him over, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm so sorry Leo, I ...I guess I don't know my own strength." Her face grew red and Leo felt his heart melt. _"She can even blush….amazing, she looks so… so beautiful…like…Celvice" _he found himself musing internally. He then winced in discomfort as he remembered the talk he had, had with the young woman earlier and he found himself feeling somewhat put off by the comment. He had hurt her deeply and he knew it, and yet here he was now marveling at something that looked just like her yet wasn't her. _"Traitor" _The inner voice whispered.

Before he could answer it, it was then that Elena's voice brought him back to the current reality, "You know, she chose the form herself Leo, she wanted something you were familiar with."

He nodded mutely and stared back at the flesh and blood Ada, yet the inner voice said nothing, and he found himself smiling and replying, "It suits you Ada." She smiled again and Leo found himself glowing on the inside at the smile. He then, somewhat reluctantly turned and looked to Elena, "How is this possible anyways? I thought Structure AIS were still being developed."

"It's because of the Metatron the body is constructed of" Elena replied, folding her arms, "it has been in the making for awhile, we called it Project Avatar. The Earth was working on it for awhile, but shelved it when the war broke out, we think they wanted it for combat use, but it never came into full recognition."

"Then how..." Leo began

Elena finished the thought with a simple shrug. "Thunderheart and I uh…liberated… the plans when we heard about the Military's order to detonate Jehuty, I worked on early theories and designs, it was a simple enough to finish once a few modifications were made and ADA's AI was installed, especially considering how quickly her AI has grown" her lips curled in a sly grin, "This is of course strictly…off the books, if the Military knew about this, well I could go to prison for a very, very long time, Military doesn't like secrets like this to be used without their approval."

Leo couldn't find a reply for her, he knew that Elena was doing this at great personal risk, for him. He found himself trying not to let his emotions take hold again as he replied quietly, "Thank you Elena….I was wrong about you, I'm sorry for everything I said about you..." He felt little liquid drops on the backs of his hands and he frowned slightly. Tears were a sign of weakness, he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him, he had nearly lost his cool with Celvice earlier in the day, he couldn't let himself be weak, he had to protect them both, ADA and Celvice. However as he reached up to wipe them away his eyes went wide as Ada reached up, and placed a hand on his cheek. "Its Ok Leo, you don't have to always be strong for us…I'm starting to understand what love is, please let me be strong for you for once…" Leo closed his eyes and winced as his heart began racing again and the inner voice returned _"You know, this seems familiar…what are you going to do Leo? Run away again?"_ He found he couldn't even answer the voice this time, and instead he felt his eyes closing as he relaxed on Adas hand. It felt warm and smooth, nothing at all like he imagined, and seemed to take him places where he could only imagine as pipe dreams during the long and hard war. The touch, the smooth skin, all of it seemed to melt away his cares and concerns. He didn't even notice Elena give a soft smile and quietly leave the room.

Finally, he spoke, as his eyes opened and once again locking with hers. "Ada…This…I don't know…I...I" His mind raced trying to find an excuse, anything that would let him get away from this situation, yet he could find none.

She just pressed a finger onto his lips, a smile on her lips as she drew her face close to his suddenly. His heart raced even faster as she replied, "Leo, please, I am your partner outside and inside the Frame, you give me strength, you protect me…now, let me protect you like you taught me to do..." Before he even realized what was going on he felt her lips on his, and his world got turned upside down. They were warm, and tasted sweet, and he found his body relaxing, the tenseness that was built up suddenly releasing as his muscles relaxed, his own lips pressing against hers passionately, yet somewhat awkwardly in a deep kiss. And then as quickly as it happened it was over and as she pulled away from him, he found himself turning bright red, her own cheeks also coloring.

"L...Leo...I…I feel strange…right here" she replied, still blushing as she touched the place where her heart would have been if she had been flesh and blood human. "Do…do I need maintenance Leo?"

He shook his head and replied equally nervously, his face on fire from all the blushing, "I...its ok Ada, n...Nothings wrong."

She looked at him again, her head cocking again in that puzzled manner, yet her face remained colored "Is… is this what you humans call …love? I…I'm trying to understand, and that felt like it was right…I don't understand still…I just…reacted."

He found himself wanting to reply that he didn't know what this feeling was, that he couldn't love her because, like he had told Celvice, he couldn't love her in order to protect her. Yet he found his strength waning, the memory of the kiss, even the taste of her lips still fresh on his mind as he desperately grasped at straws to find an answer that wouldn't allow him to acknowledge the deep bond the two partners shared. Images of Celvice flashed through his head, and her confession to him, yet he had coldly shoved her aside. _Then why_ he thought to himself. _Why am I trying to do this again?_ The answer came, like always in the infernal voice of his heart _War, _ _War has done this to you Leo_ the voice said _it has made you cold and hard, isn't it time you stopped running?_ He Hesitated for a moment and opened his mouth, but then stopped and shook his head _No, no I must remain strong, I….I can't I…_ Yet before he finished the image of Celvice flashed across his minds eye again and he looked at the other girl across from her, another spitting image of the girl he slowly realized he was falling for.

It had come down to this moment at this point in time. He knew that he would have to choose, Ada or Celvice, yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything. His heart, still beating in his chest was betraying him, its defenses shattered by the kiss. Yet with such a choice he knew came pain, rejection…something he never wanted to make either of them deal with. Yet here he was, ready to give in, to stop running to allow him to love, and all he could think about was one thing: _pain._ The choice he would make would bring pain. He had pushed Celvice away out of fear, yet now he realized that he had hurt her deeply, and now, he had a chance to rectify that mistake. To confess to her how he felt about her, that he did want to spend his life with her, war or no. Yet as he stared at Adas face, searching for answers, he felt he could never be forgiven if he hurt the one who relied on him the most. His own partner, someone who's his connection to was as strong as his friendship with Celvice.

He found, in his own daze that his body began to move on its own, as slowly it stood and walked over then kneeled before Ada extending a hand to her, his own voice saying "Yes Ada, this…this is love… lets…protect one another is that okay with you?"

Her smile was more radiant than the sunshine as she placed her hand in his and allowed herself to be helped up as they stood face to face, "yes…Ill protect you Leo." He found himself smiling as the inner voice let out a sigh of relief _about damn time._ Yet for the first time in a long while, he felt like he didn't need to argue with it as they drew each other into another embrace their lips meeting again in perfect bliss, unaware of the door opening behind them and a voice saying "Leo I…." He turned around instinctively and saw it was Celvice, her eyes wide with shock…and pain. He reached out a hand and yelled "Celvice, wait! This…this isn't what it looks like!" But it was too late, her face contorted into a mixture of despair and loss as she yelled "Leo…I…I…hate you!" before sprinting out of the room, in a full run, tears streaming down her face.

Leo looked at Ada, who looked at him and immediately looked down and away as she saw the look in his eyes. Inside he felt the turmoil return, and slowly the agony of knowing he had once again hurt another person he loved. Backing away from Ada toward the door he groaned, "I…I shouldn't…this…this is wrong…Celvice…I...I hurt her."

Ada shook her head and looked at him, her own face contorted in sadness "No…No Leo, please you, you promised to protect me…don't leave me!" He could see them, the glimmer of tears in her eyes and the pain behind them, begging him not to leave her.

"S…stay away from me!" he yelled at Ada, his voice wracked with pain and sadness and hurt "I …I can't do this…I…I can't protect anyone! I can only hurt! I can only kill!" Ada opened her mouth but he shook his head and screamed, "You're just a machine! You aren't real!"

Ada's face went white, and she slumped to the ground, her own tears running freely but he did not notice, his own tears stung at his face as he ran blindly from the room, not caring where he ran, he only knew he had to get away, away from Celvice, away from Ada, away from those he loved the most. He was a soldier, he could not love, he was destined to bring loneliness, despair, and loss, he could not love, and he could never understand what it meant to love someone. All he could do was hurt, it was what he was good at, and finally as he ceased running to stare out a window he clenched his fist as he stared at his own tear streaked face in the reflection, he pledged a solemn unspoken vow. There would be no more pain, no more hurt, because he, Leo, would never allow himself to love Ada or Celvice. Nodding to himself, he stood there silently watching the stars pass by the window slowly. He would have to be alone, like always, it was for the best and he knew it, and in the end, to protect those he cared for most, he had to keep them away from himself.

He found himself laughing as he stood there staring out the window, however the laugh that came from his throat wasn't one of joy, it was of loss, loneliness it seemed was his destiny. The stars gave no reply as Leo slowly walked away from the window, alone, the final words of Viola ringing in his ears _"In the end, boy, love only leads to loss….remember this."_ He now knew how right she had been, and vowed never to make the same mistake again.

(To be continued!)

(well here ya guys go, updated! Hope you all enjoy this latest chapter! And yes I kow those weren't Violas words, but I made them up :P)

(In the next chapter, the crew deals with the fallout of the love triangles results and its consequences! What does this mean for Leo, Ada and Celvice? Find out in chapter 10 of The Love of a Machine!)


End file.
